Understanding Integers
Get to Know About Understanding Integers
Integers cover every whole number above zero and below zero alongside zero itself. They look like -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 and so on. Fractions and decimals do not fit in this group. Picture a line stretching left for negative numbers and right for positive. Mathematicians mark this set with the letter Z.
You add integers and end up with a result that can sit above zero below zero or at zero. You subtract and hit the same three options. Multiplying feels tricky with a negative factor. Division follows the same rule. A negative flips the outcome. Spotting factors helps you pick primes and composites. A prime divides only by one and itself. A composite splits into smaller integers.
People use integers every day. They track temperatures below and above freezing. They handle gains and losses in money matters. Engineers build structures and scientists sort data with these numbers.